Big changes with the public employees' retirement funds take effect Friday.

Better known as PERA, the changes were determined by the legislature early in the year in 2013. The state decided that employers would contribute 4 percent more to employees' pension plans and that there would be permanent reductions in the cost of living benefits, down 1 percent.

Advertisement

Among the major changes, the legislature determined that retirees and future retirees would contribute more into their pension plans but not get as much back, if anything at all.

The changes are expected to hit every public department in its own way, but Action 7 News has learned that they are hitting the Albuquerque Police Department especially hard.

Chief Ray Schultz explained that the department's rehires - employees who have worked for APD, retired but returned either as part-time or full-time - are no longer seeing a benefit to staying with the city.

"All retirees have to make the full employee contribution," he said. "That will go up by an addition 1.4 percent so it will cost those employees additional money that they will never recover."

Schultz added that the changes also mean that rehires will no longer receive cost of living wages.

So far, more than a quarter of the rehires that APD has have resigned from the department.

"Rehires come with very valuable experience, I mean, they are tried and they are proven," Schultz told Action 7 News. "We have had a chance to see them for 20 or 25 years and that experience is extremely valuable to the department, even more valuable to the community."

With so many rehires leaving the department, Schultz said fewer officers will be working as detectives on the streets, and there will also be fewer officers in schools. More officers within the department will have to do more multitasking.

Now, the department is concerned because it is already low on numbers. With a full capacity of about 1,300 officers, APD only has about 848 officers. Schultz admitted that they are having trouble recruiting anyone to the department. The Police Officer's Association explained why.

"There is nothing enticing about wanting to come to this department anymore," Stephanie Lopez, the president with the Police Officer's Association, said.

She added that it is likely more officers will leave the department, too.

Schultz said they will continue their aggressive recruiting plan, offering bonuses and other incentives to attract people. They are also aiming for 18-, 19- and 20-year olds to become public service aids with the hope that those PSAs will eventually become APD officers.